sam

create a vision board

a vision board is a collage of pictures and quotes of your dreams, goals, and things that make you happy

the purpose of it is to bring everything on it to life

it should focus on how you want to feel

these visualizations serve as a motivation to achieve said dreams and goals

here’s a helpful wikihow article on how to make one: x

set up a reward system

this one is pretty self-explanatory

remember to reward yourself for reaching small goals, as well

aced your last test? great, it’s time to celebrate!

finished your homework? go eat that chocolate in the fridge!

most often, we don’t see the results of our hard work as soon as we’d like, so you just have to give them to yourself

surround yourself with positivity

may it be inspiring tumblr posts or a supportive group of friends, it’s so important to be around people who are rooting for you!

try to distance yourself from people who want to see you fail, or who don’t believe in you

if that’s not possible, try to see them as an extra motivator: do the thing they think you’re not capable of! prove them wrong!

start small

break big goals down to smaller ones that are doable

so instead of a 4.0 GPA, start with „studying every day for the next 7 days“

if you have a list of tasks, start with the smallest one

the little confidence boost you get after finishing one of your tasks is extremely helpful

it gets the ball rolling and suggests that you can actually tackle your to-do list

find like-minded people

the studyblr community is perfect for this

it’s full of supportive, ambitious and positive people who are always ready to help

share your achievements and failures with them

having a great support group to lean on in times of stress is super important

keep track of your progress

whether through the usage of a bullet journal or a blog, it’s helpful to have the ability to actually see what and how you’re doing

also, bullet journals are extremely fun to make and help you be organized in general

bullet journal tutorials: x x x 

don’t compare yourself to others

one of the biggest motivation killers is comparison

i know it’s hard to stay motivated when you feel like everyone around you is doing better than you

still, it’s crucial to try and compare yourself only to your past self

try to improve a little, to put a little more effort into something

there will always be someone who has achieved more, it will only put you down

—

Amy Poehler, Harvard Speech

push yourself to fall asleep earlier - start with 11pm, then 10pm, then 9pm. wake up in the morning feeling re-energized and comfortable.

get into the habit of cooking yourself a beautiful breakfast. fry tomatoes and mushrooms in real butter and garlic, fry an egg, slice up a fresh avocado and squirt way too much lemon on it. sit and eat it and do nothing else.

stretch. start by reaching for the sky as hard as you can, then trying to touch your toes. roll your head. stretch your fingers. stretch everything.

buy a 1L water bottle. start with pushing yourself to drink the whole thing in a day, then try drinking it twice.

buy a beautiful diary and a beautiful black pen. write down everything you do, including dinner dates, appointments, assignments, coffees, what you need to do that day. no detail is too small.

strip your bed of your sheets and empty your underwear draw into the washing machine. put a massive scoop of scented fabric softener in there and wash. make your bed in full.

organise your room. fold all your clothes (and bag what you don’t want), clean your mirror, your laptop, vacuum the floor. light a beautiful candle.

have a luxurious shower with your favourite music playing. wash your hair, scrub your body, brush your teeth. lather your whole body in moisturiser, get familiar with the part between your toes, your inner thighs, the back of your neck.

push yourself to go for a walk. take your headphones, go to the beach and walk. smile at strangers walking the other way and be surprised how many smile back. bring your dog and observe the dog’s behaviour. realise you can learn from your dog.

message old friends with personal jokes. reminisce. suggest a catch up soon, even if you don’t follow through. push yourself to follow through.

think long and hard about what interests you. crime? sex? boarding school? long-forgotten romance etiquette? find a book about it and read it. there is a book about literally everything.

become the person you would ideally fall in love with. let cars merge into your lane when driving. pay double for parking tickets and leave a second one in the machine. stick your tongue out at babies. compliment people on their cute clothes. challenge yourself to not ridicule anyone for a whole day. then two. then a week. walk with a straight posture. look people in the eye. ask people about their story. talk to acquaintances so they become friends.